


The One Where Mickey Meets Ian

by unbrokengibberish



Series: i'll be there for you [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F.R.I.E.N.D.S. AU, Ian is Rachel, M/M, Mandy is Monica, Mickey is like Ross/Chandler, Svetlana is like Joey/Phoebe, also there's a bar instead of a coffee shop and they are still in Chicago, roommates au kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 09:05:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2342852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbrokengibberish/pseuds/unbrokengibberish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey Milkovich lives across the hall from his sister Mandy and her roommate Svetlana. Svetlana wants to move in with Mickey because she can't take Mandy walking around half naked all the time, but Mickey says she has to find a roommate for Mandy first. Cue Ian Gallagher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where Mickey Meets Ian

Mickey Milkovich lived just across the hall from his sister Mandy. They had managed to move out of the Southside into an apartment building on the Northside after Mandy had finished community college and gotten a job at a local restaurant. She was working her way up from waitress to assistant manager. Mickey worked security at the local Art museum, which was at least better than running illegal drugs like he used to. Mickey actually liked art and he had to admit it was nice to have a steady paycheck. 

Mickey and Mandy had flat out refused to live together, but at the same time they hadn’t wanted to be that far apart, so when they found a building on the Northside (about as far from the Southside as they could get without actually leaving Chicago) that had two vacancies across the hall from each other, they had taken them. 

Mandy had moved in with a girl she had met at school, Svetlana. Svetlana worked at a “massage” parlor, which wasn’t fooling anyone, but Mickey wasn’t exactly one to judge how a person chose to make money. 

Mickey’s roommate had moved out almost immediately after moving in and no one else had moved in, so basically he was buried in bills, but he didn’t exactly mind the quiet. However, he wouldn’t exactly complain if someone decided to move in considering he was bordering on broke all the fucking time. 

Currently, Mickey was lounging in his armchair—the most comfortable thing in the fucking world as far as he was concerned—and drinking a beer, when Svetlana decided to burst into his apartment. 

“What the fuck?” he asked shooting up in his chair, because no matter times she did this, he would never get used to people barging into his room. 

“I can no live with her anymore!” Svetlana hissed in her heavily accented English. “She is crazy. She does not wear pants!” 

Mickey snickered a little, because Svetlana was almost as gay as he was and it was no secret to him that she was basically in love with Mandy. Mandy did not know that however, and she had never really learned about personal space, choosing to parade around in her underwear most of the time. 

“You, piece of shit, no laughing at me!” Svetlana practically screamed at him, which just caused him to laugh louder. 

“Jesus Christ, Lana. I told you if you can find her a new roommate you could move in here. Lord knows I could use the help with the rent,” he said to her as he lit up a cigarette, all of them having chosen to ignore the “no smoking” policy of the building. 

Svetlana turned up her nose as she looked around his living room. He scoffed at her disapproving look. 

“It’s either Miss No Pants or me, Princess,” Mickey laughed as she flipped him off. 

“Where do I find new roommate?” Svetlana asked exasperated as she flopped down into the perpetually vacated chair next to Mickey. 

“The hell do I know?” Mickey laughed as he got up to get Svetlana a beer. 

“Roommates do not just fall from sky, Milkovich,” Svetlana said with a voice full of despair. 

“You never know,” Mickey replied as he sat back down handing Svetlana her beer. “But you can’t leave her without a roommate. She’ll kill us both.” 

Svetlana groaned, because they both knew that was true. Mandy could be feisty when she needed to be, which is why Svetlana hadn’t moved into Mickey’s spare room yet. 

Mickey and Svetlana were watching CSI reruns, when Mandy came into the apartment without knocking. 

“You two do know you don’t live here, right?” Mickey asked rolling his eyes as Mandy stole his cigarette. 

“Whatever, assface. I was gonna head down to the bar, before I go off to work. You guys coming?” Mandy asked leaning against the foosball table Mickey considered his greatest purchase ever. 

“Yes,” Svetlana answered and then punched Mickey in the arm as he started to laugh. “Maybe I find roommate there,” she whispered into Mickey’s ear as they stood up to leave. 

/// 

The best thing about the apartment building that Mandy and Mickey had found (aside from the fact that it was relatively affordable) was the fact that it sat right above the best bar in fucking Chicago. Well, okay it may not have been the best bar—but it was the closest and they really weren’t fucking picky. It was really nice when they were stumbling drunk and they just had to walk upstairs. 

Mickey, Mandy, and Svetlana were sitting at their usual table—a high round table with four chairs. The girls always threw their purses on the fourth so that no one would steal it, not that they had any use for it, but no one needed to take their chair. Mandy was talking about some asshole from work who kept trying to get into her pants, while Svetlana was trying hard not to make it too obvious that she was staring at Mandy. Mickey was drinking his second glass of Jack and listening to his sister’s complaints. 

“No, but seriously if this guy touches my ass one more damn time, I’m gonna pull my baton on him. He hasn’t seen me go South Side yet. He might change his mind after that.” Mandy took a sip of her vodka soda. 

“Man, sometimes I miss the South Side. It’s like socially fucking unacceptable to just bash some skulls on this side of the river. I swear my job would be so much easier if I could just beat all the assholes who don’t read the signs that say don’t touch the fucking art,” Mickey said as he finished his drink. 

He was about to go off on a whole rant about his glory days on the South Side, which he did quite a lot, when the door to the bar burst open and a tall, lean guy with fire red hair walked in. 

Mickey’s eyes followed him, wondering why he looked so familiar, as the guy walked up to James, the bar manager. Mickey was still staring at him, when James pointed in their direction. The guy’s eyes followed the pointed finger to their table, and then his eyes fucking lit up. Mickey had to look down at his drink. Why did the guy look so familiar? 

“Ian? Ian Gallagher?” Mandy asked as she stood up from the table, after making eye contact with the redheaded god of a man. 

“Mandy!” Ian Gallagher sounded like he had just found Eden or some shit. 

“Oh my God, Ian. What are you doing here?” Mandy asked as Ian approached their table and gave her a tight hug. Mickey couldn’t help the way his eyes roamed over Ian’s body, paying special attention to his toned arms, and big hands. 

“Wait, Gallagher? Like Frank Gallagher?” Mickey asked, not being able to stop himself. A blush spread up his neck; a blush he noticed was echoed on Ian’s face. 

“That would be my dad,” Ian said and Mickey wanted to bottle up that sound and keep it for a rainy day. He didn’t even care how gay that sounded. Ian Gallagher’s voice was like butter. 

Mandy hit Mickey on the arm before she took hers and Svetlana’s purses off the perpetually empty fourth chair. She gestured for Ian to sit down, and called James over to take Ian’s drink order. After everything had settled down, Mandy introduced them. 

“This is my roommate, Svetlana. Svetlana, Ian. And Ian you remember my brother Mickey,” Mandy said pointing vaguely at him. 

“Hey,” Ian said making eye contact with Svetlana vaguely before his eyes locked on Mickey.  
“Hi,” Mickey muttered. 

“What are you doing here?” Mandy asked again, cutting into Mickey’s awkwardness.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story, but I found out where you lived from Lip and when you weren’t in your apartment, your super said you’d probably be here. And here you are!” he said excitedly like his story wasn’t missing a beginning and an end. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the army or something?” Mandy asked as she cocked her head to the side looking at Ian curiously. 

“Yeah, I kinda got kicked out,” Ian said as he took a long pull on his beer. Mickey watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed with his action, and he bit his lip hard to keep from licking it. 

“Shit, you’re that army kid,” Mickey said, because Mickey was really fucking eloquent like that. 

“Yup,” he said popping the “p” sound. His eyes caught Mickey’s and a thousand freaking memories flooded Mickey at once: some freckly, redheaded freak running around the baseball field; a skinny redhead hanging around Mandy all the time; Mandy crying when the toned, redhead ran away to join the army. Mickey could feel his pants tightening just slightly as he began to remember Ian fucking Gallagher. Shit, Mickey thought to himself. 

“What do you mean you got kicked out?” Mandy asked. 

“Well, technically. I got honorably discharged. Apparently you can’t have a mental case handling firearms in a warzone.” Ian noted all of their confused faces, before he added, “Bipolar.” 

Mandy seemed to understand what the fuck that meant, because she nodded, but Mickey who had decided that tonight was the night he needed to be really vocal asked, “Bi-what?” 

“It’s like manic depression. I get super pumped for a while and then I just kinda can’t get out of bed for weeks. I’m on meds now so it’s not that bad, but apparently I’m not stable enough for the fucking Marines,” Ian said meeting Mickey’s eyes again. Mickey had never seen such green eyes. 

“Sucks, man,” Mickey said before looking down at his empty drink. 

“So what are you doing here?” Mandy asked Ian. 

“Well, this is kinda stupid and I should just go to Lip, but I need a place to live,” said Ian as he rubbed the back of his neck as he took a pull of his beer. 

“Well, Mickey…” Mandy started, but Svetlana cut her off. 

“You can live with Mandy,” she said rather more enthusiastically than usual. “I can move in with Mickey. And then Mandy will have spare room.” 

“Whoa, Mandy doesn’t need to be living with some guy,” Mickey pointed out, because Mickey just had to be an ass. 

Mandy and Ian both burst out laughing. “The hell is so funny?” Mickey asked. 

“Um…” 

“Ian’s gayer than you, Mick,” Mandy said, before she stopped realizing what she had done. “Shit. I’m sorry.” 

But Mickey wasn’t even paying attention to the fact that Mandy had just outed him to Ian, because fuck. Mickey had spent the better part of his teen years jerking off to thoughts of red hair and pale skin covered in freckles, and now Ian Gallagher was gay. And there was a possibility that he would be living across from Mickey. 

“Oh.” Mickey didn’t know what else to say. Luckily Ian seemed to have a better recovery time than him. 

“Svetlana, I wouldn’t want to put you out,” Ian stated simply. He sounded genuinely concerned. 

“It is really no problem. Do not worry,” Svetlana said as she winked at Mickey. Mickey smirked at her. 

“Well, okay then.” 

“Well, I have to be at work in like half an hour, but we can show you upstairs. Then I guess you could help Svetlana move across the hall,” Mandy said as they paid their tab and left the bar. 

///

Three hours later, Svetlana was mostly moved into Mickey’s apartment. Ian was sitting on Mandy’s couch, and Svetlana and Mickey were sitting in chair on either side of him. They were all drinking beers and smoking. 

“Well, I am now exhausted so I am going to sleep in my new room far away from Miss No Pants,” Svetlana laughed as she stubbed out her cigarette on the coffee table. She kissed Mickey on the side of the head, which Mickey flinched at and pushed her away. 

“Yeah, yeah, just go,” Mickey laughed a little. “I’ll be over in a bit.”  
Svetlana left, and then it was just him and Ian, sitting in Mandy’s apartment. 

“What was that about?” Ian asked him. Mickey picked at the label of his beer bottle. 

“Oh, Svetlana’s a total lesbo, and Mandy has a hard time remember to wear pants around the apartment,” Mickey said as he looked up at Ian through his eyelashes. 

Ian was spread out on Mandy’s couch, which would be substituting as Ian’s bed for the time being. His cheeks were flushed from the beer and he was blowing smoke out through his mouth. Mickey’s mouth was practically watering. 

“Is that why she moved out so fast?” Ian laughed. Mickey decided that he would bottle that noise instead. 

“Yeah, she’s been trying to find a new roommate for months. You’re like her fucking knight in shining armor or some shit,” Mickey said as he took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out his nose. 

They sat there in silence for a while, until Ian broke the silence. 

“So, you’re gay?” Ian asked as he looked over to Mickey. 

“Yeah,” Mickey said simply. If anyone else had asked that, he would have probably beat them, but Ian had some kind of calming effect over him. 

“I remember you, ya know.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah, you got kicked out of little league for pissing on first base,” Ian said with a smirk. 

“That’s me,” Mickey stated proudly. 

“I always had kind of a crush on you,” Ian admitted looking down at his bottle setting on his stomach. Mickey swallowed hard, because damn. 

“Oh.” Mickey didn’t know what else to say. “Uh, maybe we could hang out sometime or something.” Mickey could hardly believe he was talking. Mickey Milkovich didn’t do dates, but if Ian’s eyes would light up like that just after Mickey saying something like that, he thought maybe he could do dates. 

“Yeah, maybe,” Ian said as he stretched out a little more. 

“Well, I’m gonna go crash,” Mickey said as he stood up. 

“Night, Mick,” said Ian sleepily. His eyes were already closed as Mickey looked down at him. 

“Night, Gallagher,” Mickey said as he took one last look over Ian’s body and left the apartment. As he closed his apartment door behind him, he leaned back against it and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Mickey didn’t know a lot, but he knew that Ian Gallagher was gonna fuck up his life one way or another, and he didn’t think he would stop it even if he could.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think of this because i'd like to continue it as a series
> 
> find me on tumblr at mckeysgallagher


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